The Ceres City Council gave its blessings to a proposed 81-unit senior assisted living complex to be constructed south of the Evanshire Mansion.

Councilman Daniel Martinez was absent on Monday evening when the council for 4-0 for approval.

The vote comes just weeks after the Ceres Planning Commission approved the project by Evanshire Senior Living LLC. The council approved rezoning a two-acre site at 1748 Evans Road from Administrative Professional (AP) to High Density Residential (HDR) to allow the project to happen.

The complex will be accessible from Stone Haven Way – now a dead end – with an emergency access road off of Evans Road.

The project developer plans to use the state’s density bonus program since the units are entirely for seniors, in this case allowing the developer to build 35 percent more units than normally allowed. The allowable density of a project in HDR zone is 20-30 dwelling units per acre, or 63 units but the density bonus allows 81 units.

Lea Simvoulakis, now a consultant to the city for the interim after resigning as the city’s director of Community Development, said the developer could have developed up to 150 units on the entire five acres.

The applicant is also able to use waivers to modify a development standard when the reduction or modification of a standard would otherwise physically preclude the construction of the project. The project applicant is waiving the current R-5 height restriction of three stories or 40 feet (whichever is less) and planning to build a four-story building as high as 50 feet.

To reduce the visual impact on the area the developer plans to use mature growth cypress trees. Simvoulakis said only two residential backyards would be immediately affected by the structure but the developer plans to use a generous landscaped screen where the project abuts to the rear yards where El Rosal and El Monte avenues come together at the western edge. The front of the project at its eastern boundary faces Stone Haven Way and is over 50 feet away from the nearest homes, she said, which significantly minimizes the impact of the building’s height.

“If you look up, yes, you may see some height but you’re not going to have people staring into the backyard, staring into windows, which is a common fear of homes,” she told the council.

Shirley Rogers of Ceres, who is a member of the Stanislaus County Commission on Aging, supported the project, calling in a win-win for the community.

Councilman James Casey welcomed the project, citing the difficulty that many have finding places for seniors who want to downsize and live in facilities where they are assisted in living.

“I, too, think this is a great project and it does allow for our seniors to remain in the community because we do lack the senior housing,” said Councilwoman Cerina Otero.